Lando Norris aware Max Verstappen is a title threat
3rd October 2025McLaren’s Lando Norris has suggested that Red Bull’s reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, remains a threat to the drivers championship as the Formula 1 season heads towards its conclusion.
Feature image credit: McLaren Racing
Verstappen has secured two back-to-back wins since the summer break, at the end of August, taking victory in the Italian and Azerbaijan Grand Prix, respectively. As such, the world champion has revitalised his championship bid.
His last win before Italy was when they last competed in the country, in Imola, for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. From there, it looked as if the drivers title was slipping away as McLaren took all but one win from Monaco to the Netherlands.
Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Norris was asked, alongside Mercedes’ George Russell and Haas’ Estban Ocon, what Verstappen’s chances were that Verstappen would win the title.
He conceded that the Dutchman remains a threat. In the media press conference, he said:
“I mean, there’s a chance, so, more than zero. I don’t know. It’s probably, like, actual stats. So, I don’t know. Yeah. There’s a chance.”
Ocon weighed his opinion in on the matter, adding to the suggestion that Verstappen will be chasing the deficit to secure a fifth-consecutive world title.
“I mean, we all know Max and how dangerous he is when there’s something to grab,” Ocon commented. “So yeah, there’s a good chance that if he’s got a competitive car until the end of the year, he can catch back.”
Ahead of the summer break, McLaren looked as if they would cruise away with both titles in 2025 with the constructors title all but sealed – which they can do this weekend.
Piastri had a 104 point advantage over Verstappen after the Dutch Grand Prix, but this was then cut down to 94 points after the Italian GP. Furthermore, after Piastri’s pointless finish in Azerbaijan, after he crashed out on the first lap, Verstappen’s win has reduced the points deficit to 69.
Verstappen now poses a threat to not just the drivers title, but to McLaren’s potential 1-2 finish in the drivers championship. Even if the world champion cannot seal the drivers title, he remains only 44 points behind Norris, who is in second, 25 points adrift of his teammate.
Russell also joked that there is a ‘100%’ chance that Verstappen would seal the title this year.
Read more Formula 1 here:
- McLaren and Alex Dunne part ways with immediate effect
- FIA confirm extensive car checks ahead of Singapore Grand Prix
- Singapore Grand Prix declared heat hazard for first-time ever
- F1 extends partnership with Memento Exclusives until 2030
- Why Oscar Piastri will not take Singapore Grand Prix grid penalty
- Singapore GP Preview: Max Verstappen’s resurgence and McLaren’s title hopes
Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from ApexMotorsports.co.uk!
You can also support us on Patreon or our website!
Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
